


lost and found

by dinosar



Series: haikyuu!! soulmates au [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anxiety Attacks, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Friendship, Light Angst, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Romantic Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 16:52:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5974669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinosar/pseuds/dinosar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>kenma loves shouyou. he loves the way he can talk about nothing for hours without needing a response, or the way he writes "i love you" with obvious care compared to the messy scrawl of his other words, or the way he always seems to know when kenma needs him the most. he figures he'll have to wait until they've both graduated to meet each other, but it seems that fate has other plans.</p><p>in which kenma and shouyou both get lost and somehow end up finding each other.</p><p>(au where any marks made on your soulmate's body also appear on your own)</p>
            </blockquote>





	lost and found

**Author's Note:**

> hello i am back with more of the soulmates au \o/ this time kenhina, bc i've wanted to write kenhina for literal ages and this finally gave me a good excuse to do so!!
> 
> u dont have to read the other fic in the au but its iwaoisuga so if thats ur thing feel free 2 read it as well
> 
> anyway this was only supposed to be 3000-4000 words but I Fucked Up
> 
> enjoy!!

  


Kenma's first thought about his soulmate was that he was _loud_.

  


He couldn't hear him, of course―but the messy scrawl of his words had absolutely _covered_ Kenma's arm within thirty seconds of him replying for the first time, and he'd immediately felt kind of exhausted. He's always been shy and introverted, even more so when he was young and they'd first started talking, so he found it very hard to keep up with his obviously rambunctious soulmate.

  


His soulmate, whose name he'd quickly learned was Shouyou, hadn't seemed to mind that. He wrote enough for the both of them, and eventually, Kenma came to appreciate that. He's never felt pressured to keep a conversation going, since Shouyou can talk about pretty much _anything_ , and it's a nice change from everyone else he talks to. Well, _almost_ everyone―his best friend Kuroo is much the same, never at a loss for what to talk about, and he also knows when it's time to leave Kenma alone and let him recharge. It takes a weight off his shoulders, knowing that the two most important people in his life aren't driven away by his total lack of social skills.

  


So...he's sure that things could be much worse. Though he'd initially dreaded the idea of having a soulmate and being so irrevocably tied to someone else for the rest of his life, possibly someone he wouldn't like or be able to get along with, he's come to love the hyperactive boy behind the words that appear on his skin. Shouyou makes him smile and laugh, and that's something that can't be said for most other people.

  


Whenever Kuroo catches him smiling at something Shouyou's written, he never fails to tease him for it. There's nothing menacing about it, Kenma knows, but it's still embarrassing.

  


“I tease you because I'm happy for you,” Kuroo tells him one day when they're heading home together after school, ruffling his hair. “He makes you happy, and I appreciate that. I like the kid already―I'll have to thank him whenever I get to meet him.”

  


“You're embarrassing,” Kenma mumbles, letting his hair fall into his face to cover his red cheeks. It's hard not to smile, though―he appreciates Kuroo's support, even if it's mostly given through teasing. “If that's the case, then...I'll have to thank Sawamura-san for making you happy, too,” he adds quietly, looking away.

  


Kuroo is silent for a moment before he laughs, slinging an arm around Kenma's shoulders. “Now who's the embarrassing one, huh?” he questions, and Kenma finally looks up to see him smiling, cheeks faintly red.

  


“Still you,” Kenma deadpans, but the smallest of grins is pulling at his lips.

  


“Okay true,” Kuroo concedes, “but you still love me anyway.”

  


Kenma raises an eyebrow. “That's debatable.” It's a lie, though―he does love Kuroo, a lot. He's been a constant in Kenma's life, always there when he needs him, and Kenma doesn't have the words to express just how much he adores him because trying to say it out loud would probably make him so embarrassed that he'd explode. So he teases him instead, hoping his message gets across without him having to say it.

  


Since it's Kuroo, he's sure he understands. He's always been perceptive, almost freakishly so.

  


“Alright, deny it all you want, but we both know the truth,” Kuroo says with a light shrug of his shoulders, reaching up to ruffle Kenma's hair once more and earning a hiss in return. “Anyway, you coming to my place? Mom told me to bring you over, she's making your favorite tonight.”

  


Almost imperceptibly, Kenma's shoulders drop in relief. He hadn't wanted to go home, but he also hadn't wanted to just invite himself over to Kuroo's... “I guess,” he replies, shrugging. “There's probably no one home at my place, anyway.”

  


“Mom'll be happy,” Kuroo tells him with a grin. “I swear, she loves you more than she loves me.”

  


“I doubt that,” Kenma answers, rolling his eyes. “You're just being dramatic.”

  


“Aren't I always?”

  


Kenma shakes his head and sighs, but a smile finds his way onto his face. He wouldn't have his best friend any other way.

  


* * *

  


Kenma kind of wishes he'd stayed the night at Kuroo's.

  


His parents are fighting again, like they do almost every night that both of them are actually home. Every time he hears one of them raise their voice, he can't help but flinch. He wishes they wouldn't fight, or that they'd just leave each other―soulmates or not, no relationship is worth fights like theirs.

  


It scares him. That someday, he and Shouyou might end up like his parents, always fighting and barely able to even look at each other. Your soulmate is supposed to be for life, someone you can always count on for love and support, but Kenma knows it's not always true, and the the possibility that he and Shouyou could end up like this is his biggest fear in life. He fears it more than he fears talking to people or being the center of attention or any of the other things he's scared of―because even though they've yet to meet, he already loves Shouyou so much that it's terrifying. The thought of losing that plagues him every time he hears his parents going at it, spitting vitriolic words at each other and sleeping in separate beds at the end of the night because they can't stand to look at or be near each other anymore.

  


Feeling himself start to shake as breathing becomes harder, Kenma wraps his fluffiest blanket around himself and glances down at his arms, feeling tears burn the back of his eyes. He desperately wants to write to Shouyou, wanting the comfort of his loving words, but he knows he's doing homework at the moment and that's such a rare occurrence that he doesn't want to disturb him. Instead he clutches his left arm to his chest, as if the words written there earlier can somehow sink into his chest and make it feel less tight, but it doesn't work. His lungs burn as he starts gasping for breath, the anxiety attack hitting him in full force, and his eyes blur with frightened tears. His parents won't even think to check on him, too wrapped up in arguing about whatever stupid thing set them off, so he's completely alone and he's terrified.

  


He doesn't realize how tightly he's squeezing his arm until he moves it and feels a prickly sensation, like pins and needles. Reaching up to wipe the tears from his eyes, chest still heaving, he looks down to find that his skin has gone purple where his hand was, deep nail marks marring his arm.

  


And also that all of Shouyou's words from earlier that day had been washed away, new ones replacing them.

  


_hey, u ok?  
kenma ur worrying me  
is that u that's squeezing ur arm?  
kenma i love u  
whatever it is, just breathe  
im right here  
try and calm down ok  
it'll pass  
ur gonna be alright ok  
i love u so much u can do this  
i just rly need u to take some deep breaths for me  
u can talk to me if u need to  
im running out of space so pls make a mark when u see this  
so i can wash it off and make room for more_

  


Kenma reads the words over and over, feeling his chest gradually become less tight. The tears don't stop, but at least he can actually breathe, so he shakily reaches for the nearest marker and starts to write.

  


_im sorry  
i didnt mean to worry you  
but  
thank you, shouyou  
i love you too_

  


Kenma watches as the other words are washed away almost immediately, like he'd been waiting right beside the sink the whole time, and Kenma's heart clenches in a good way. Even though he hates worrying Shouyou, knowing that the other boy cares about him so much makes him feel warm inside.

  


_ARE YOU OKAY?_

  


The words are written as soon as the others are washed off, and Kenma scrubs at his eyes with his hands to clear away the tears that blur his vision before replying.

  


_im...better  
thanks to you_

  


_OH GOOD  
im glad i could help  
do u wanna talk about it?_

  


Kenma chews on his lip, considering it. He doesn't really want to worry Shouyou any more than he already has, and he doesn't really want to think about it anyway, so...

  


_not really  
we can talk about something else though  
like whether or not you actually did your homework_

  


_aaahahhahahaha....about that  
i tried? but  
i just kept thinking about how much id rather be talking to u  
so....its not rly done yet  
oops_

  


Kenma shakes his head in exasperation, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. His parents are still fighting, but...he's not going to pay attention to that anymore. Popping in some headphones to block the noise and starting his music, he writes back.

  


_you're hopeless, shouyou  
i'll help you get it done, okay?_

  


_:D really??  
you're the best ♥_

  


Kenma spends the rest of the night helping Shouyou with his homework, and then talking about nothing when it's done. Shouyou is in the middle of telling him a story when all of a sudden his writing, which had gotten slow and messy with tiredness, trails off into a line across his skin. An intense feeling of love bubbles up within Kenma when he realizes it's because he's most likely fallen asleep in the middle of writing, clearly not having wanted to stop talking to Kenma but ultimately failing.

  


Pulling the cover off of his marker, Kenma writes him one last message before bed.

  


_idiot, your marker is going to dry out  
you could've just said you wanted to sleep  
but...it's kinda cute that you tried to stay up  
i love you, shouyou  
sleep well_

  


Kenma turns off his lamp and settles into bed before he can get embarrassed and wash it off, closing his tired eyes. As he falls asleep, he thinks about the day he'll get to meet Shouyou, and he falls asleep with a smile on his face.

  


* * *

  


The day they meet comes sooner than either of them expected, and it's completely unplanned.

  


Kenma always figured they'd meet after high school was out of the way, when they'd be able to see each other often and possibly even live in the same city.

  


He never expected they'd meet in their second and first years of high school at a volleyball training camp involving a practice match with both of their teams.

  


Kenma had been walking with his team when he'd accidentally wandered off, face glued to his phone to play games as he walked. When he eventually realized that it was too quiet around him and looked up, he saw that he was alone, and anxiety began to creep up on him.

  


He's sitting now, waiting for Kuroo to answer his texts and come find him. He feels bad, since he knows that Kuroo is wandering around looking for Sawamura-san, but he doesn't know what else to do. While he waits, he plays games on his phone to distract himself from feeling anxious.

  


And then, he hears an unfamiliar voice from behind him.

  


“What are you doing?” The voice is male, slightly high-pitched, and it makes Kenma jump a little. He's never been good with dealing with strangers, and now he's wishing more than ever that Kuroo would just find him already.

  


He chances a brief glance backwards, catching only the sight of bright orange hair before he looks away again, too anxious to look at the stranger for any more than a couple seconds. “Oh, uh...I got lost,” he replies quietly, hoping that will be enough to satisfy the stranger so that he leaves him alone.

  


But it doesn't. The stranger moves closer until he's just beside Kenma, and the blond can see him cock his head out of the corner of his eye. “You're from out of town?” he questions.

  


Kenma slides further away, using his hair as a curtain to block the stranger from his sight. “Yeah,” he answers. _Please leave me alone now_ , he wants to say, but he can't bring himself to do it.

  


Undeterred by Kenma's obvious reluctance to speak, the orange-haired stranger crouches beside him to look at his phone. “Is that thing fun?”

  


“Not really.” Why, _why_ is this happening. “I'm just passing time,” he finishes. _What is taking Kuroo so long?_ he thinks to himself almost desperately.

  


“Oh...” the stranger hums. Suddenly, a strangled sounding squawk leaves him, making Kenma jump. “Are you a volleyball player?!” he asks excitedly.

  


“Huh?” Kenma inquires dumbly, glancing over at the persistent stranger.

  


“Those are volleyball shoes!” he exclaims, pointing toward Kenma's gym bag.

  


Right. “Oh,” he mumbles, “yeah.” But wait, there was something about the stranger's arm...something that looks familiar...

  


Glancing back over, Kenma studies his arm, and then...

  


He thinks he stops breathing for a minute.

  


“Hey, you okay? You're staring...”

  


“Shouyou,” he breathes, hands coming up to cover his mouth.

  


Shouyou's brow furrows. “Huh? How do you know my name?”

  


Wordlessly, Kenma pulls up the sleeve of his jacket, watching Shouyou's face go slack with shock. “Kenma...?” He says it slowly, as if he doesn't quite believe what's happening.

  


Kenma can only nod, biting his lip to stop it from quivering. “Yeah,” he whispers, clenching his hands into fists to keep him from doing something weirdly forward like hug him.

  


But Shouyou seems to have no such reservations. Before he knows it, he has an armful of the smaller boy, the force of their bodies colliding nearly knocking the breath right out of him. Kenma's eyes go wide when arms wrap around his neck, Shouyou's small body shaking a little, and almost numbly, he reaches up to wrap his arms around him.

  


“I can't believe you're here,” Shouyou says quietly, which is surprising since Kenma had always expected him to be very loud during their first meeting. “How are you here? I don't...”

  


“I go to Nekoma,” he answers, tightening his hold on the smaller teen. “I'm here for a training camp...”

  


Shouyou pulls back to look at him, eyes wide. “You never told me you played volleyball!” he exclaims.

  


Kenma looks down. “It didn't seem important enough to share. I only do it because my team needs me,” he replies, shrugging. He catches sight of the words on Shouyou's shirt, and he looks up in shock. “You go to Karasuno? So we're...going to play against each other?”

  


Shouyou gasps, like the thought hadn't yet occurred to him. Which, it probably hadn't. “I...guess we are...” He leans forward again, leaning his head on Kenma's shoulder and squeezing him tighter. “This doesn't feel real, does it? Is this real, Kenma?”

  


Kenma buries his face into the side of Shouyou's neck and nods, taking in his scent―he smells like citrus and a hint of sweat. “You're...somehow exactly how I pictured you would be,” he admits, letting his eyes close. The initial shock is beginning to wear off, leaving in its wake a warm, content feeling.

  


“Is that a good thing?” The words are muffled by Kenma's jacket, but he understands them anyway.

  


He nods again. “It is.”

  


“You're just like I thought you would be, too,” Shouyou tells him, nuzzling his face into his shoulder. “And yes, that's a good thing, don't worry.”

  


They sit like that in silence for a few moments, and it doesn't make Kenma uncomfortable the way that most silences do. It's nice―Shouyou is just as easy to be around as he is to talk to, and it's a huge relief.

  


“Oh? What's this?”

  


Kenma's eyes open, and he finds Kuroo staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Shouyou sits up and turns, cocking his head. “Kenma, who's that?” he asks, looking back at Kenma.

  


A sigh leaves the blond. “That's Kuroo,” he answers. “Kuroo, this...is Shouyou,” he says hesitantly, hoping desperately that Kuroo doesn't do anything embarrassing.

  


Kuroo's eyes immediately go wide. “You mean _the_ Shouyou?”

  


Kenma nods. “We...met by accident.” Meeting Kuroo's eyes, he pointedly adds, “He goes to Karasuno.”

  


Kuroo's mouth immediately falls open and he hastily raises a hand to cover it. His hand shakes, betraying his emotions. “Hey, Hinata-kun...by any chance...” He stops for a moment, shutting his eyes, and Kenma knows how monumental this is for him. “By any chance,” he starts again, a slight shake to his voice, “could you tell me where your captain is?”

  


Shouyou's eyes knit together. “Daichi-san? Why, do you know him or something?”

  


Kuroo sucks in a breath, and seeing that he's trying very hard to keep his emotions reined in, Kenma answers for him. “Shouyou, your captain is Kuroo's soulmate,” he explains. “They've been waiting for this day for years, so...can you take him to him?” He knows that he and Kuroo should be getting back to their team, but this is too important to wait.

  


The orange-haired boy's eyes widen comically. “Oh!” he exclaims in shock. “I...yeah, I can totally take you to Daichi-san!” He lifts himself off of Kenma's lap, taking the blond's hand and gesturing to Kuroo. “Come with me!”

  


Kenma allows himself to be pulled along by Shouyou, and without hesitation, he grabs Kuroo's arm with his free hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. So often, Kuroo is the one comforting him and keeping him calm, but it's finally his turn to return the favor.

  


“You look like you're constipated,” Kenma tells him as they walk.

  


A slightly-stressed sounding snort leaves his best friend. “Now that it's finally happening, I can't help but feel a little nervous,” he admits, running a hand through his already-messy hair. “Hey, Hinata-kun, how much farther?” he asks. He's starting to look a little green.

  


“He was running behind me last time I saw him, so he's probably somewhere around here...” Shouyou answers with a shrug. “I don't think he'd be back at the gym yet.” As they turn a corner, three distant figures come into view, and Shouyou lets out an excited squawk. “There they are! Stay here for a second, I'll run and get him!” he says quickly before letting go of Kenma's hand and sprinting off, yelling “Daichi-saaaaaaaaaan!”

  


Kenma feels a hand on his arm, squeezing it, and he looks up at Kuroo's face. “This...is really going to happen. I'm going to meet him. Holy fuck, Kenma, I'm going to hear his _voice_ ,” he whispers, biting his lip.

  


A soft look on his face, Kenma covers the hand on his arm with his free one. “Yeah,” he replies softly, squeezing his hand. “You'll be fine, probably. Just don't puke or anything,” he adds, gently nudging him. They can already see Shouyou returning along with another person. “I'm going to go meet Shouyou halfway so you can be alone with him, okay?”

  


Slowly, Kuroo nods. “Wish me luck, because I'm gonna need it to make it through this without making an ass of myself,” he mumbles.

  


Kenma snorts. “You don't need any luck, don't be so dramatic.” He pulls Kuroo's hand off of his arm, giving it one last squeeze before letting go and starting to make his way toward Shouyou. The orange-haired teen nearly barrels into him in his excitement, and Kenma blinks as a brown-haired teen, taller than him, rushes past him and heads toward Kuroo.

  


“This is so exciting,” Shouyou says as he takes Kenma's hand and leads him in a different direction, having the tact to let them have their privacy. “I found you today, and now Daichi-san and Kuroo-san have found each other, too. Isn't that kinda cool?”

  


Kenma hums. “Very cool,” he agrees, a smile pulling at his lips.

  


“I...still can't really believe you're actually here, holding my hand,” Shouyou admits, turning to look at him with slightly red cheeks. “It feels like I might wake up any second and find out it was all just a dream.”

  


Kenma squeezes his hand tighter. “I'm glad it's not a dream,” he says softly. “I didn't think I'd get to meet you so soon...”

  


“I'm really glad you got lost,” Shouyou tells him, stopping in the middle of the street they're on. “I'm glad _I_ got lost, too. Otherwise...well, we still would've met this week, but not until the practice match. And then we wouldn't have been able to spend any time together before you go back to Tokyo...” His eyes go wide. “Hey, do you think you'd be able to stay an extra night? My parents would love to meet you! We could probably drive you home so it's not like you'd have to take a train or anything!”

  


Kenma blinks. “Um...probably? I don't think my parents would mind.” _More like they won't notice me being gone an extra night,_ he tacks on silently.

  


Shouyou's eyes practically sparkle. “Really?!”

  


Kenma shrugs. “As long as your parents are fine with it...” The thought of meeting Shouyou's parents makes him unbelievably nervous, but it'll be worth it to spend an extra day with Shouyou.

  


Shouyou lets out a whoop, then starts swinging their joined hands between them. “It's gonna be so great! You can see my house, meet my parents, and oh! You'll meet my little sister, too! She's going to love you, I know it! Oh, and we can watch movies all night, and mom can make your favorite food...what's your favorite food, by the way? I feel like I should know that but I've never asked and you never told me so I don't...”

  


Kenma listens to him talk, a smile on his face. He doesn't even get a chance to get a word in, the smaller teen too caught up in his own excitement, but he doesn't mind―there's something so nice about just watching him talk, seeing how his expressions change and hearing the excitement in his voice, and Kenma thinks he could probably listen to him forever.

  


* * *

  


After their teams play practice matches for the whole day on the last day of the training camp, Kenma leaves with Shouyou. Kuroo wishes him luck, gripping tightly to his own soulmate's hand, and Kenma feels kind of sorry that Kuroo can't stay an extra night as well.

  


When Shouyou's dad arrives to pick them up, he helps Shouyou load his bike into the back to their car before they all get in. Shouyou thankfully climbs into the back seat with him, knowing he's nervous, and holds Kenma's slightly-sweaty hand in his own.

  


“So you're Kenma-kun, huh? When Shouyou called and told us he'd met you here, my wife and I were so shocked! And my daughter's been talking nonstop about how excited she is to meet you,” Shouyou's dad tells him, glancing at him through the mirror and grinning. It's easy to see where Shouyou had gotten his sunny smile, because that same smile is present on his father's face. “So you're from Tokyo, then?”

  


“Um, yes,” he replies, trying his best not to stutter. He ends up squeezing Shouyou's hand tighter as he tries to fight down his anxiety, and Shouyou squeezes his hand in return.

  


Shouyou clears his throat. “Dad, Kenma's really shy so maybe dial it down a little?”

  


“Oh! Sorry, Kenma-kun, we Hinatas can be a little overbearing,” he immediately apologizes. “Once we get excited about something, we tend to go a little overboard...”

  


“It's alright, Hinata-san,” he replies, taking a deep breath. “I'll get used to it.”

  


Shouyou's dad barks out a laugh. “With a soulmate like Shouyou? Yeah, you'll be used to it in no time at all.”

  


“Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!” Shouyou demands, pouting. Kenma is pretty sure that a pouting Shouyou is the cutest thing he's ever seen in his entire life.

  


His father laughs again. “You're kind of a handful, Shou-chan.”

  


Looking offended, Shouyou turns to Kenma. “Hey, Kenma, that's not true, right? I'm not a handful, am I?”

  


Kenma blinks, raising an eyebrow. “You may be just a bit of a handful...” he admits. When Shouyou raises a hand to clutch at his heart, eyes wide, Kenma immediately backtracks. “That's not a bad thing, though! Really, I...love it about you.” His voice trails off quietly at the end, a bright red blush covering his cheeks, but it's worth it to see the way Shouyou's eyes sparkle.

  


“See, Dad? At least Kenma appreciates me,” Shouyou says proudly, sticking his tongue out.

  


“And that's all that matters,” his father agrees, smiling.

  


They soon reach the Hinata household, and Kenma can't help but cling to Shouyou after they've retrieved their bags. Shouyou's dad tells them to go right in, telling them he'll be right behind them after he puts away Shouyou's bike.

  


“Ready?” Shouyou asks, grinning.

  


Taking a deep breath, Kenma hesitantly nods, and then Shouyou is pulling him up to the door and barely giving him the time to kick his shoes off before he's being dragged inside.

  


“We're home!” the smaller teen calls out excitedly. Immediately, the sound of feet pounding against the floor can be heard, and within seconds there's a small child tackling Shouyou.

  


“Big brother!” she screeches.

  


Shouyou smiles and reaches up to ruffle her hair with his free hand. “Hey, Natsu,” he greets her, before looking over at Kenma. “Kenma, this is my little sister Natsu. Natsu, this is Kenma.”

  


“Hello,” Kenma says awkwardly, unsure of how to act. He's never really been around young children, being an only child himself, so he's not quite sure how to handle them.

  


Natsu immediately hides behind her brother, peeking around him at Kenma, and Shouyou snorts. “What's with the shyness? That's not like you at all.”

  


“H-hi Kenma-san,” she whispers, so quietly that it's hard to hear her.

  


“Sorry about her, Kenma-kun, she gets terribly shy sometimes,” a new voice says, and Kenma looks over to find an orange-haired woman, shorter than Shouyou, looking at him with a soft smile.

  


“Kenma, this is my mom!” Shouyou tells him with a grin.

  


Kenma bows. “It's nice to meet you, Hinata-san.”

  


He nearly jumps when a hand claps his shoulder, peeking up to find Shouyou's father standing beside him and grinning. “Welcome to the family, Kenma-kun,” he says warmly. “We're very happy to have you.”

  


The words immediately hit him hard, harder than he'd expected, and he has to blink tears away from his eyes. “Thank you, Hinata-san. I...excuse me for a moment,” he says hastily before ducking down the nearest hallway, not even knowing where he's going but knowing he has to get away before he cries in front of them all and embarrasses himself.

  


He hears Shouyou excuse himself as well before a hand takes his own once more and pulls him into a bedroom, sliding the door shut behind them. As soon as they're safely inside, Shouyou pulls him in for a tight hug, and Kenma buries his face into his shoulder as he begins to shake.

  


“Sorry, I―” A sob cuts him off, and he clutches Shouyou tighter.

  


“Shh, it's okay,” Shouyou murmurs, reaching up to stroke his hair with one hand and rubbing his back with the other. “You don't have to say anything, Kenma...”

  


The blond shakes his head in disagreement, wanting to explain himself. “Life at home, it's―not the best, for me,” he chokes out, feeling vulnerable but wanting Shouyou to _know_. “My parents, they fight a lot, and they've never really paid much attention to me. I don't have any siblings, so...the only real place I've ever felt at home is at Kuroo's. But the second your family meets me, they're already welcoming me as part of the family, and...it just...really means more to me than anyone could ever understand.”

  


Gently pushing him back so that their eyes can meet, Shouyou cups his face and wipes at his tears with his thumbs. “Thank you for telling me that,” he says softly, stroking his cheek. “There's...a lot of stuff that makes a whole lot more sense to me now that I know, to be honest.” Leaning in, he pulls Kenma's head down so that their foreheads touch. “Listen, you'll always be welcome here as part of our family, okay? I love you, Kenma, and I know my family will too if they don't already.”

  


The blond's lip quivers. “I love you too. And...your family seems really great. I think I'll like coming here, once I get used to everyone...it's not like my parents will miss me if I visit, anyway...”

  


He watches as Shouyou's eyes fill with tears before leaning in that last little bit and pressing their lips together. Kenma's eyes widen in shock before they fall shut, his hands coming up to rest on Shouyou's chest as he relaxes into the kiss.

  


“Sorry, I probably should've asked before just kissing you like that,” Shouyou murmurs a few seconds later when their lips separate, looking slightly embarrassed as he blinks the residual tears from his eyes. “You just looked really sad, and I didn't want you to be sad anymore.”

  


“I didn't mind,” Kenma tells him, looking down. “It was...nice,” he finishes, cheeks flooding with color.

  


“Oh. Good,” Kenma watches as Shouyou's own cheeks redden as he adds, “because I've wanted to do that all week.”

  


“...you're embarrassing,” he mumbles. “So embarrassing, Shouyou.”

  


“But...in a good way, right?” Shouyou prods.

  


And Kenma smiles, because he can't help it. “In the best way possible,” he assures him, gathering all of his courage to lean in and connect their lips once more.

  


* * *

  


“Shouyou told me you like apple pie, so Natsu and I made this earlier today,” Shouyou's mom says with a bright smile as she sets a steaming pie down in the middle of the table. When the smell hits him, it's hard for Kenma to keep himself from drooling.

  


“It...looks delicious, Hinata-san,” he tells her, barely even looking way from the pie.

  


She laughs, starting to cut it. “Shouyou, hand me a plate, please.” Shouyou does as his mother asks, holding it out for her to lift a piece of pie onto and setting it down in front of Kenma. “Dig in, dear!”

  


Unable to resist, he immediately starts to eat, his eyes closing in bliss as the warm pie touches his tongue, the taste exploding across his tastebuds. It's one of the most delicious apple pies he's ever eaten, he thinks, and he knows he'll _definitely_ be visiting often if it means getting to eat another pie like this one.

  


He's so caught up in how good the pie is that he doesn't notice that everyone's staring until he finishes eating. Shouyou's father looks like he's trying not to laugh, Shouyou is staring at him with big, sparkly eyes, and the females of the Hinata household look excited that he's enjoying their pie so much.

  


Now would be a nice time to gain the power of invisibility, he thinks as he hunches over to let his hair fall into his face.

  


“Oh, crap we're embarrassing him,” Shouyou gasps, immediately wrapping an arm around Kenma. “Sorry, you're just...really cute when you're excited about something...”

  


“Did you like our pie, Kenma-san?” Natsu asks shyly. “Mama and I worked _really_ hard on it.”

  


Kenma blinks, and he feels the embarrassment ebb away a little. “I thought it was delicious, Natsu-chan,” he replies quietly, shyly meeting her eyes.

  


The little girl's eyes begin to sparkle. “Really?”

  


He nods. “It's the best apple pie I've ever eaten, and...I've eaten a lot of apple pie.”

  


Natsu looks up at her mom, grinning widely. “Hear that, Mama?”

  


Shouyou's mom smiles down at her daughter, stroking her short orange hair. “I did hear that.” She turns her gaze to Kenma, offering a smile. “I'm glad you liked it so much, dear,” she tells him. “I'll be sure to make some more next time you visit, too.”

  


Kenma tries not to look too excited at that, but he's sure he fails when everyone laughs.

  


“Alright, Shouyou, Kenma-kun, feel free to completely ignore all of us for the rest of the night,” Shouyou's dad says as he stands up, starting to collect the plates from the table. “It's your last night together, so we'll all leave you alone.”

  


“But I wanna hang out with big brother and Kenma-san!” Natsu protests, pouting.

  


Her father pats her head, ruffling her messy hair. “Not this time, Natsu. You can play with them next time Kenma-kun visits, right boys?”

  


“Sure,” Shouyou shrugs.

  


Natsu continues to pout, but she finally nods.

  


Shouyou and Kenma excuse themselves from the table and head toward Shouyou's bedroom, hands linked together between them, and Kenma wonders how it's even possible to be this happy.

  


“So what do you wanna do?” Shouyou asks after he slides his bedroom door shut behind them, tilting his head in question.

  


Kenma shrugs. “Doesn't matter to me.” In truth, he'd be content just laying with Shouyou and listening to him talk, but that's embarrassing so he won't actually say so.

  


“I'll put a movie on if you want, we can cuddle and watch it,” Shouyou suggests, scratching his cheek.

  


_Cute,_ Kenma thinks, a smile pulling at his lips. “Works for me,” he replies.

  


Shouyou puts on some kind of cheesy action movie, and they climb into his small, narrow bed to watch it. “Sorry, my bed is really small,” he says apologetically when they're forced to lay totally flush against one-another in order to fit.

  


Kenma laughs quietly. “I don't mind.” He turns away from Shouyou to face the tv instead, glancing briefly over his shoulder. “You're allowed to wrap your arm around me if you want, you know...I'm not going to stop you.”

  


“Oh! Um. Okay,” he stammers out, hesitantly wrapping an arm around Kenma's middle.

  


Kenma raises an eyebrow. “Why are you so nervous right now?” he questions, trying to keep himself from smiling at just how adorable the younger teen is.

  


“I've just, uh, never had anyone else in my bed with me before,” he answers, ears reddening.

  


The blond snorts. “You're cute, Shouyou.”

  


He catches sight of Shouyou's face going even redder before he buries it in Kenma's back. “Kenmaaaa, don't tease me!” he whines into his sweater.

  


Rolling over, Kenma wraps his own arm around Shouyou, letting their noses touch. “There's nothing to be nervous about, it's just me,” the blond murmurs.

  


“That's _why_ I'm nervous,” Shouyou mutters. “ _Hey_ , why does it feel like our roles have reversed?” he asks suddenly, brow furrowing.

  


“Because I know I don't have to be nervous when it's just you,” Kenma answers plainly, shrugging. It's true―Shouyou is like a balm to his nerves, putting him completely at ease. “I don't know what you could possibly be worried about,” he concludes, raising an eyebrow.

  


Shouyou makes a strangled sounding noise, reaching up to cover his face. “I just...really love you, and it's hard to stop myself from kissing you every five seconds,” he admits, burning red ears showing just how embarrassed he is.

  


Heart melting, Kenma reaches up and tugs at his hands until Shouyou's face is revealed to him once more. “Just...don't stop yourself, then,” he whispers as he cups his red, burning cheek, ignoring how embarrassed saying the words makes him. “Kiss me, Shouyou.”

  


That's all it takes for the orange-haired teen to surge forward, crushing their lips together with such force that their teeth clack together painfully. Kenma pulls back with a hiss of pain, reaching up to put a hand over his mouth, and Shouyou immediately starts apologizing over and over again, brown eyes wide and face somehow gone even redder.

  


“Shouyou, whoa, calm down, it's alright,” he cuts in, interrupting the steady stream of apologies. His mouth twitches as he tries to hold back his laughter, letting their foreheads touch once more. “You're too keyed up, calm down.”

  


“Sorry,” Shouyou says again, more quietly this time.

  


“You're hopeless,” Kenma sighs with a smile on his lips. “Close your eyes,” he instructs, stroking the apple of Shouyou's cheek with his thumb. Warm brown eyes immediately snap shut, and Kenma allows his own eyes to close as he leans in and kisses Shouyou, much more softly than Shouyou had during the previous attempt, and he feels the smaller teen relax against him almost immediately.

  


“You taste like apple pie,” Shouyou whispers against his mouth, reaching a hand up to tangle it in Kenma's hair as they continue their languid kissing. Neither is quite brave enough yet to try and sneak some tongue in, so for the most part, their mouths stay closed, but that suits them just fine.

  


“Are you complaining?” Kenma shoots back, hand resting on the side of Shouyou's neck and rubbing circles into the skin.

  


“No,” the shorter teen answers, and that's the end of the conversation.

  


* * *

  


“Hey, Kenma...you asleep yet?”

  


“I _should_ be,” Kenma answers, “but no.” It's almost two in the morning and they're leaving at nine with Shouyou's dad to drive him to Tokyo since both of them have homework that needs to be done, and they'd both been trying to sleep since one but clearly neither was succeeding.

  


“Are you...thinking about tomorrow?” Shouyou asks quietly, hesitantly. They'd promised earlier to not talk about it, but...

  


Kenma rolls over to face him, although he can barely see anything in the dark. “I'm not ready to leave here,” he admits, voice little more than a whisper. “I'm not ready to go back to that stupid house. I'm not ready to deal with the fighting again...” He can feel himself tearing up, and he hastily blinks to try and prevent the tears from building in his eyes. “I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet, Shouyou.”

  


“We'll see each other again soon,” Shouyou promises, but his voice sounds wobbly. “Maybe even next weekend, yeah? It'll be...everything is gonna be okay, alright Kenma? We can still write to each other, or even call each other if you want. It'll be fine...right?” He's started to shake by this point, and when Kenma reaches up to lay a hand on his cheek, he's surprised to find the skin wet with tears.

  


“Shouyou...?” he asks slowly, his own tears coming faster at the thought of Shouyou, his ray of sunshine, crying.

  


“I...really don't want you to leave, Kenma,” he tells him, reaching up to take Kenma's hand off his cheek and bringing it to his chest instead, pressing it just over his heart and holding it there. “It hurts, right here, when I think about saying goodbye to you tomorrow.”

  


Unable to speak due to the lump in his throat, Kenma wraps his arms around Shouyou and pulls him as close as possible, hugging him as tightly as he can. They're both shaking with silent sobs, tears wetting their cheeks, and Kenma is sure that nothing has ever hurt him as badly as seeing Shouyou break down like this.

  


“I don't want to sleep,” Shouyou cries softly, face pressed into Kenma's neck, “because if I sleep, I'll have less time with you.”

  


“Shh, I know,” Kenma chokes out, sliding a hand into Shouyou's hair to stroke it in an attempt to soothe him, because there's just something so _wrong_ about Shouyou crying like this. “But we have to, Shouyou, we can't stay up...”

  


“It's not fair,” Shouyou whimpers, shaking his head. “It's not fair that you live all the way in Tokyo while I'm stuck here, Kenma...I don't wanna have to wait days or weeks to see you, when so many other people can just see their soulmate anytime they want! Why does it have to be like this...?”

  


“I don't know,” Kenma replies, pulling his head back to look at Shouyou. “God, how am I ever supposed to say goodbye to you?” he asks, a fresh wave of tears falling down his cheeks. “You're making it so hard, I don't want to leave you so upset...”

  


“I'm sorry,” Shouyou sniffs, reaching up to wipe his eyes. “I was trying to keep it in, because...I wanted to be strong for you, and I didn't want to make you sad, but...it's hard,” he continues, taking a deep, shaking breath to try and calm himself. “We hardly got to spend any time together at all, Kenma...it's just not enough...”

  


“I know,” the blond agrees, pulling Shouyou back to his chest and kissing his forehead. “But...it'll have to be enough for now.”

  


“This sucks,” Shouyou mumbles, sniffling.

  


Kenma hums, wiping away his own tears. “There's nothing we can do about it, though.”

  


Shouyou lifts his head, and his eyes shine in the soft moonlight filtering into the room through the curtains. “I can't wait till I graduate. Once I do...I'll move to Tokyo, with you,” he says decisively, rubbing the few stray tears lingering on his face away. “We'll get our own place, and...we'll be together. Okay?”

  


A teary smile on his face, Kenma nods. “I like the sound of that.”

  


Shouyou starts to describe what their life will be like together, and Kenma listens with rapt attention, throwing in his own suggestions here and there. Soon, the rhythmic sound of Shouyou's voice starts to lull him to sleep, though he tries his best to stay awake. When it becomes too hard to keep his heavy eyes open any longer, he allows them to shut, feeling his body curl even closer to Shouyou's on its own.

  


“Goodnight, Kenma,” Shouyou whispers, and Kenma feels the softest of kisses pressed against his forehead. “I love you,” he adds, shifting so he's more comfortable.

  


Kenma tries to answer, but sleep takes him before he can say anything.

  


They fall asleep tangled together as closely as possible, as if afraid the other would disappear by the time they woke up, dried tear tracks on their cheeks.

  


* * *

  


_we made it home safe_

  


Kenma gets the message on his forearm a few hours after he'd been dropped off at his own house, and he breathes a sigh of relief. It's raining pretty badly, and Kenma had been worried sick that Shouyou and his father would get into an accident on their way back or something. Uncapping his marker, he presses the tip to his skin

  


_that's good  
you're going to do your homework now, right?_

  


_:( i don't want to  
im too sad  
my bed smells like u, though  
it's nice  
_  


Kenma shakes his head, torn between feeling sad and amused.

  


_don't tell me you're sitting there sniffing your bed, shouyou_

  


_As if I haven't been sniffing the sweater he lent me for the past hour,_ he thinks to himself, sighing. _I'm such a hypocrite._

  


He gets back to his homework while he waits for Shouyou to answer, but it's hard to concentrate. He gets what Shouyou means about being too sad to do homework―he's felt an ache in his chest ever since he had to watch Shouyou drive away with his dad after they'd dropped him off in front of his house, and it's made focusing on anything pretty much impossible.

  


_Maybe I'll ask Kuroo if he wants to hang out,_ he muses silently, tapping his lip with his pencil. He's sure his best friend is moping just as much, so he figures they might as well mope together.

  


A reply finally appears after a few moments.

  


_maybe i am  
it makes me miss u less  
oh, mom wants to know if u ate ur pie yet_

  


_tell her im saving it for later  
i might give some to kuroo  
he's probably still upset, too  
  
i wonder how daichi-san is  
i guess i'll find out at practice tomorrow  
the four of us have some rough luck, huh?_

  


_That's the understatement of the century,_ he says silently. Reaching for his phone, he quickly texts Kuroo and asks if he wants him to come over, then grabs his marker again.

  


_yeah, we really do  
anyway, promise you'll try to do your homework  
if you fail, you'll have to wait another year to move here_

  


_OH  
THATS TRUE  
WOW OK ILL TALK TO U LATER  
IM GONNA TRY AND DO IT ALL NOW  
I LOVE U_

  


Kenma laughs a little, mentally patting himself on the back for knowing how to motivate the younger boy.

  


_i love you too  
if you need help, just ask  
call me before bed_

  


Kenma's phone vibrates with a text message. It's Kuroo, saying he can come over whenever he wants, and he doesn't use any of his annoying emojis so Kenma knows he must be really upset. After all, he hadn't even gotten to spend the night with Sawamura, which must have been disappointing.

  


Kenma packs all of his homework into his bag and pulls Shouyou's sweater over his head, stopping for a moment to take in the citrusy scent that is one hundred percent Shouyou, and he feels his chest ache more intensely for a few minutes with how much he misses him already. Having his sweater is nice, though―it can't replace actually holding him in his arms, but it's enough for now.

  


Somehow, he thinks, they'll make it through. It'll be hard, being so far apart and rarely being able to see each other, but he supposes it'll make their time together that much more precious.

  


They'll be okay, he knows it.

   


**Author's Note:**

> kenhina is so pure i feel like im not worthy of writing it
> 
> anyway!! i hope u all enjoyed :') it was my first time writing kenhina so i hope i got it right lmao..............
> 
> up next will most likely be kurodai!! bc this whole au started with kurodai so like. gotta get it out there?? or else what am i even doing with my life
> 
> as always, feedback is appreciated!! feel free to tell me what u liked or didn't like, or if u have questions about any part of the au i'd be happy to answer either here or on [tumblr](http://ceesarzeppeli.tumblr.com)!! the full list of pairings au is here on ao3 and u can find them by clicking on the series!!
> 
> until next time my friends


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